Cutting and folding mechanism for printing machines



Sept. 5, 1939; A M ZUCKERMAN 2,171,619

CUTTING AND FOLDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR A TTORNEY CHINES p 1939- A. M. ZUCKERMAN CUTTING AND FOLDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MA Filed Dec. 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRINTING MACHINES Adolph M. Zuckerman, New York, N. Y., assignor to R. Hoe & 00., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 1, 1937, Serial No. 177,488

5 Claims.

The invention relates to web cutting mechanisms for printing machines and particularly to an improvement in such mechanisms whereby the same will more efliciently and desirably cut sheets from webs coming from printing machines.

It is often desirable to cut the products from a newspaper or magazine printing machine by a clean cutting knife instead of by the usual serrated knife. It is therefore proposed to provide in a web cutting mechanism for this type of printing machine a combination, of a newspaper or magazine folder having the usual serrated knife and collecting pins and which may be operated at relatively high speed, and a pair of clean cutting cylinders, better adapted to be operated at a somewhat lower speed, whereby one cutting mechanism may be conveniently used if; the clean cutting of products when desired, or the other may be used at higher speed in the cutting of products wherein a serrated cut is not objectionable. The arrangement may be used to advantage with other than the combination of a folding cylinder and a former, it being also applicable for use with a collecting cylinder and web turning bars. I

One of the objects of this invention is to provide, in a web cutting mechanism for a printing machine, a combination of cutting devices whereby the web coming from the machine may be selectively cut into sheets by either cooperating cylinders having clean cutting knives, or a serrated knife.

A further object is to provide in a web cutting mechanism the combination of a pair of clean cutting cylinders with a folder having a serrated knife, and arranged to permit either cutting means to be operatedwhile the other is inoperative.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a web cutting mechanism of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efficient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a web folding,

cutting and collecting mechanism embodying the features of this invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged end view of a pair of clean cutting cylinders partially sectioned to show the cooperating knives;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the action of a clean cutting knife upon the web;

Figure 4 is an enlarged end view of cooperating, collecting, folding and cutting cylinders with a pair of folding off rollers partially in section to show the operation thereof;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of the cutting cylinder showing the action of a serrated knife upon the web; and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic end view of an arrangement embodying the features of this invention as applied to a combination of collecting and transfer cylinders and web turning bars.

The features and principles of this invention are shown in Figure 1 as being applied to a web folding mechanism having a driven web guide roller II from which the web I2 is directed over a former I 3 and between cooperating rollers l4 and I5 whereby it is folded longitudinally, and

then between a pair of driven nipping rollers l6 and IT. From the nipping rollers l6 and H, the folded web 12 is guided by suitable guides l8 between a pair of cooperating driven clean cutting cylinders I9 and 2|, which may be set to cut the web into sheets as will be hereinafter described. The sheets if out, or if not cut, the folded web I2 is guided by suitable guides 22 between another pair of driven nipping rollers 23 and 24 and guides 25, to cooperating cylinders 26 and 21, being respectively a folding cylinder 26 and a cutting cylinder 21. The folding cylinder 26, as will be explained more in detail hereinafter, cooperates with a pair of folding oif rollers 28 and 29 to fold the sheets, as cut by either the cylinders l9 and 2|, or the cylinders 26 and 27, and deliver them to a rotating fly 3| from which they are removed and deposited upon a delivery belt 32. From the belt 32, the products may be transferred to another belt 34.

Herein the several driven rollers and cylinders are indicated as being driven from a common driving shaft 35 which, it will be understood, is drivingly connected to the drive of the printing machine and driven in synchronism therewith,

and has a bevel gear 36 secured thereon in mesh each shaft. The nipping rollers l6 and I! are,

as usual, geared together for opposite rotation and are driven by a gear 43 secured to a shaft 44 which is drivingly connected to the shaft 38 by means of meshed gears 45 and 46 respectively secured on each shaft.

The clean cutting cylinders I9 and 2I aregeared together by gears and 48 respectively secured. to the shafts 49 and 51 respectively of each cylinder. A bevel gear 52 secured on the shaft 49 of cylinder I9 is in mesh with a gear 53 secured on a shaft 54, which is drivingly connected to the shaft 38 by means of. meshed gears 55 and 56 respectively secured on each shaft. The

gear 51 secured to a shaft 58 which is drivingly connected to the shaft 38 by means of meshed gears 59 and 6| respectively secured on each shaft.

The folding cylinder 26 and the cutting cylinder 21 are geared together by gears 62 and-63 secured to the shafts 64 and 65 respectively of each cylinder. A bevel gear 66 secured on the shaft 64 of the cylinder 26 is in mesh with a gear 61 secured on a shaft 68 which is drivingly connected to the shaft 38 by means of meshed gears 69 and 31 respectively secured on. each shaft. A train of meshed pinion gears II, I2, I3, I4 and I5, of which gear 'II is in mesh with a gear I6 on the cylinder shaft 64, forms the means to drive the folding off rollers 28 and 29 in opposite directions of rotation. The fly 3I is driven, through a gear I! secured on the fly sha'ftl8 in mesh with a gear I9 secured on a shaft 8|, which is drivingly connected to the shaft 38 by meshed gears 82 and 83, secured respectively on each shaft.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the clean cutting cylinders I9 and 2| are mounted between opposing machine frames 89 with their respective shafts journaled in brackets BI and 92 respectively which may be bolted, or otherwise secured,

to the respective frames 89. The web cutting means on the cylinders I9 and 2| are herein shown as comprising knife blades 93 and 94, which are respectively and releasably secured to each cylinder in holders and '96 respectively, by means of bolts 9'! and 98.' The knife blades 93 and 94 extend lengthwise of the respective cylinder and are set at an angle to the axis thereof, in accordance with the usual practice, see Figure 3. The cylinders are each also set at an angle in respect to the web I2 whereby when the cooperating blades 93 and 94 meet they will provide a shearing action upon the web to produce a clean straight out transversely across the web, the edge at the out being substantially at right angles to the edge of the web. Cooperating 'clean cutting cylinders constructed and mounted as shown and described in Patent No. 1,558,140 are adapted for use as cylinders I9 and 2I.

Referring to Figures 1, 4 and 5, the cylinders 26 and 21 and the folding off rollers 23 and 29 are mounted between the frames 89 with the respective shafts thereof journaled in suitable bearings therein. Herein the shaft 64 of the cylinder 26 is journaled in brackets 99 and the shaft of the cylinder 21 is journaled in brackets IDDI which brackets are suitably secured to the frames 89. The cylinder 26 is provided with protractable pins I92, see Figure 4, and the usually provided tucking blades I83, the blades I03 being suitably actuated to tuck sheets cut from the web into the bite of the folding off rollers 28 and 29 at timed intervals. The construction and operation of sever the web I2 into sheets. I generallyserrated at their cutting edges and disrposed irrthe cylinder 21 in alignment with the the pins I02 and the blades I03 with the folding olf rollers 28 and 29 is well understood, and need not be further described in detail, reference being made to patent to Halliwell, No. 1,499,106, dated June 24, 1924 for a complete and detailed description of the same. The cylinder 21 is provided with a web cutting blade I94 which is releasably held in a block I95 and at each revolution of the cylinder cooperates with rubber or like members I96 provided in the cylinder 26 to The blades I94 are axis thereof, see Figure 5.

The arrangementshown in Figure 6 illustrates "the embodiment of the features and principles of this invention in. a combination including a collecting cylinder and an arrangement of web turning bars and wherein a former suchas I3 is not required. In this embodiment, the web is slitand fed over turning bars I I I, each web strip H2, 1 I3 and I I4 being fed into juxtaposedrelati'ongbetweena pair of cooperating nipping rollers I I 5 and I I6 from which they pass between a pair of cooperating clean cutting cylinders I II and H8 constructed and formed as above described in respect to the cylinders I9 and 2|. The cut sheets or web strips depending on whether the cylinders III and H8 are in operation or not, are then. fed between nipping rollers I19 and 'IZI from which the same is fed between cutting cylinders I22 and I23. Cooperating with the cutting cylinder I23 is a. collecting cylinder I24,

having the usually provided tucking blade and pins, whereby in the well known manner, the

products after they are advanced by the cylinder I23, are folded as they are transferred to a folding cylinder I25, from which they are delivered to delivery cylinders I26 and I2I. From the cylinders I26 and I2'I., the products are delivered to suitable delivery belts I28 and I29 respectively.

1 -Due to the above combinations and arrangements of the features and principles of this invention, it is possible to either cut the web into sheets by the clean cutting cylinders 19, 2I or H1, H8, or by the serrated blade I04 on the cylinder 21 or on cylinder I22 as desired. The change-over from one to the other may be easily accomplished without inconvenience nor substantial loss of time, it being necessary only to either separate thecylinders I9 and 2| by any suitable means, or to remove the knives 93 and 94 on these cylinders to cause them to become inoperative to cut the web, whereby it will be fed between the same to the cylinders 26 and 27 to be cut by the blade I94. The removal of the blade I84 from th cylinder 21 permits the web to be cut by the knives 93 and 94 on the clean cutting cylinders I9 and 2I and be collected by the cylinder 26 and folded thereby in cooperation with the folding off rollers 28 and 29.

It will be-understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from the .spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present. embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and it will be further understood that each and every novel feature and combination present in or possessed bythe mechanism herein disclosed forms a part of the invention included in this application.

' What I claim is:

1. In a web cutting and folding mechanism for aprinting machine, the combination of means to feed the web through said :mechanism, a pair of cooperating clean cutting cylinders adapted to receive the web therebetween and sever it into sheets, a pair of cooperating serrated blade web cutting cylinders adapted to receive the web therebetween and to sever it into sheets, said cooperating pairs of cylinders being arranged to receive the web in sequence and to selectively act thereon, one cylinder of one of said pairs of cylinders having sheet folding means thereon to fold the sheets cut from the web by the selected pair of sheet cutting cylinders, and common means to drive said cylinders in synchronism.

2. In a web cutting and folding mechanism for a printing machine, the combination of two pairs of cooperating web cutting cylinders spaced apart sufficiently to insure that a sheet cut from the Web by one pair will be free from the other pair, one of said pairs of cylinders having clean cutting knives thereon and the other pair of cylinders having serrated blade web cutting means thereon, said pairs of cylinders being arranged to receive the web in sequence and to selectively act thereon, one cylinder of one of said pairs of cylinders having sheet folding means thereon to fold the sheets cut from the web by the selected pair of sheet cutting cylinders, and common means to drive all of said cylinders in synchronism.

3. In a web cutting and folding mechanism for a printing machine, the combination of, spaced apart supporting members, means mounted between said members to feed a web through said mechanism, a delivery device mounted between said supporting members to receive products from said mechanism, a pair of clean cutting cylinders mounted between said members and cooperating to cut the web into sheets, a pair of cooperating serrated blade web cutting cylinders mounted between said members, spaced from said clean cutting cylinders, and disposed below the same, said last mentioned pair of cylinders including a sheet collecting and folding cylinder adapted to collect and fold the product from either pair of cutting cylinders, means cooperating with said sheet collecting and folding cylinder to receive the sheets and to deliver them to said delivery device, a common drive shaft adjacent said members, and means connecting each of said web feeding means, said delivery device, said pair of clean cutting cylinders, said serrated blade web cutting cylinders and said sheet receiving and delivering means with said common shaft to drive them all in synchronism, whereby said mechanism is adapted to selectively collect and fold sheets cut from the web by said clean cutting cylinders or to collect and fold sheets cut from the web by said serrated blade web cutting cylinders.

4. In a web cutting and folding mechanism, the combination of a pair of cooperating clean cutting cylinders adapted to receive the web therebetween and sever it into sheets, a pair of serrated blade web cutting cylinders to receive the web and sever it into sheets, and being spaced from said clean cutting cylinders an amount sufficiently to insure that sheets cut from the web by said clean cutting cylinders will be free therefrom before they are received by said serrated blade web cutting cylinders, said pairs of cylinders being adapted to selectively operate on the web, one of the cylinders of said pair of serrated blade web cutting cylinders having means thereon to collect and fold sheets cut from the web by either of said pairs of cylinders, and common driving means for said pairs of cylinders to drive them in synchronism, whereby the cylinder having the sheet collecting and folding means thereon will be operated at the proper speed to collect and fold sheets cut from the web by the selected pair of cylinders.

5. In a folder for a printing machine, means to feed a plurality of webs to a cutting and folding mechanism the cutting device of which is provided with a serrated edge cutting member that may be rendered ineffective when it is desired to fold previously cut products, a delivery device to which the products are forwarded from the folding mechanism, and coacting rotary cutting members in the path of the web being led to the folding mechanism, said rotary cutting members being driven in synchronism with the folding mechanism and operable to cut the webs into sheets at times when the serrated edge cutting member is ineffective.

ADOLPH M. ZUCKERMAN. 

